Apparatus for cooking and cooling in sealed receptacles



March 16, 1926. A 1,577,219"

N. H. Fo'oKs APPARATUS FOR COOKING AND COOLING IN SEALED RECI'IPTACLES Filed March 11, 1925 i 16 1g 17 I o 9 '10 5 gnaw H 01;

, Mon Elba/L42.

Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

N-EIi SQN i1. ma or rinasron; rmnvilnnnr Ap ncatmn-nie'divraitii 11,, 1925. Serial o; 14,504.

To all whom'rit mag/concern: Y i v Beit known that .I, N LsONIHLFOOKS, a citizen of the Unitetl' ta'tes, residing gat' Preston, inthe county ottCaroline andSt-ate otMaryland, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in A'pjg iaratus" Gookingand Coolingin Sealed Receptacles and 1 :do hereby declare the following-to "be a. full, clear, and exact tilejscriptionoPthe invention, such as will. enable o'ther s, skilled in the art to which it 'appertains "to ina-ke and use the same.

This invention relates to apparatushr cooking and ooolingdoods and thehke :in sealed receptacles and inoreiparticularl-yzto an apparatus tor cooking'and'cooling'in such sealed receptacles by nieans'oi 'a single :liquid medium. g r

The process ofthus cooking and codling in a single liquid inediinn is more particularly described and claiine'din' any co-p'eirding application for PatentySer. No; 8,842.

The object. oi? thepresent inventionis to provide an improved and simplified apps ratus adapted to perinit the efficient cooking and cooling in sealed receptacles under substantially u-niform pressure.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and conibination of parts as "hereinafter more particularly 'described and claimed. a

One sheet oi? drawings accompanies this specification as part 'thereoffin whichlike reference characters indicate .like parts throughout. j i

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross sectional view through my improved :apparatus, largely diagrammatic, indicating "certain of the interior parts in elevation. I

i Fig. 2 is-an end elevation.

In accordance withthe present invention, a suitable con-tainer l is provided in which is arranged an 'endlesstonveyor 2 passing over suitable guide rollers 3 and in associa tionwith suitable can guide-s4, by c'neans of which conveyor and can guides sealed receptacles 5' "can be advancediroin the top of the container byway of a circuitous course, as indicated, substantially to the bottom of the conveyor, and thence outward again at the top, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 1, the direction of the conveyor and cans being indicated by arrows.

Within the container 1 and disposed in spaced vertical relation are a plurality of heating elements "11 which may be constructed iii-any e ell-known manner, the drawing here illustrating a plurality or communicat ing pipes through which steain' may be passed from a suitable source (not shown) Each-of theheating elements 11 is independ ently eontrolledaby ineans o1 a suitable valve 1-7, so that the steammaybe admitted as desired to anyone or more of these heating elements: I

Th'e eontainer 1 -is-=also provided with a pluralityof'vertically spaced outlet pipes 10,'ea'ch 'of'sa'id outlet pipes 10 GOIYllhHliiCQIting' with the container slightly below one of the heating-units 11. 7 Each of the outlet pip'es 10 is independently controlled by a suitable valve 18, so thecontainer may be withdrawn asdesi-red from any one of these outlet pipes, which may be-=and preferably are connected to a suitable-waste pipe 19. 1 I r "Intermediate each heating unit and. its corresponding oitt-let pipe is positioned a horizontal ba-flie' 12,- which baflies consist o t a pluralityofshutters pivoted on the side walls o-fthe container *1 lay-meansoi pivots 20 a'ndweaclrot sai d' baiile plates 12 having a uixed lever arm '13, the lever arms- 13 of each-horizontal gronp 0iba'fiies being pivotal'ly associated with a connecting rod =14 which extends'through suitable pack glands 15 in the front wall of the container and terminate in handles 16, thus permitting, by alongitudinal motion of the rods 1 1, the angular; adjustment "of the battle plates 12, so that'said battle plates"ina y be positioned horizontally, as-illustrated, in the lowerlnostu'nitin Fig. 1 to constitute a continuous horizontal ba'liie or snia y be swung into angular or vertical position, nsdesired, as indicated- H1 the two'upper units in Fig. 1

lVatenor other suitable liquid is supplied to container 1 through pipe 22, which is preferably branche'dinto pipes 2l,each controlled by asuitable valve 28, by means-of that the contents of which the supply of liquid to the' container over the floor of the container rather than upwardly, the tops 8 operating as bafiles to eliminate vertical currents in the liquid.

The operation of the apparatus is uite simple. Then a relatively deep coo ing medium is desired, steam may be supplied through all of the heating units 11, as illustrated in Fig. 1. In this event, the lowermost bafiles would be closed, as shown, and the valve of the lowermost outlet pipe 10 opened. The upper baffles would be left open, as illustrated, and the valves of the upper outlet pipes closed.

WVith the apparatus in this condition, the water or fluid within the container would be heated rapidly and efiiciently above the lowermost baflle by convection, the vertical water currents being relatively uninterrupted above that bafile. On the other hand, the water below the lowermost baflie would remain substantially cold, there being no convection currents, the baffle prei'enting verti-' cal currents below that level. Any slight conduction of heat below the lowermost baftie is eliminated by a slight current of water passing from the inlet nozzles 7 to the lowermost outlet pipe 10.

In a similar manner a cooking medium of less depth may be utilized by closing off the lower heating unit and closing the baffle associated with the next higher steam unit or, if preferred, by closing oil the two lower heating units and closing the uppermost balile. I

Obviously, the number of heating units with their corresponding baflles may be multiplied as desired and varying forms of structure will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, but within the scope of the present invention as claimed.

hat I claim is:

1. Apparatus for cooking and cooling in sealed receptacles comprising a liquid container, means for supplying heat positioned within the container and intermediate the top and bottom liquid levels, and a baffle located below the level of the heat-supplying means adapted to prevent currents in the liquid below said heating means.

2. Apparatus as specified in claim 1, in which the baille extends horizontally.

3. Apparatus as specified in claim 1, in which the hafile is adjustable.

4. Apparatus for cooking and cooling in sealed receptacles comprising a liquid container, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally disposed heat-supplying units, means for independently controlling said heating units, a plurality of battles, one positioned under and adjacent each heating unit, and means for independently adjusting each of said baffles.

5. Apparatus for cooking and cooling in sealed receptacles comprising a container, a plurality of independently controlled heatsupplying units spaced vertically in the container, and an adjustable bafile positioned below and adjacent each heat unit, each of said baffles consisting of a plurality of pivoted vanes, each vane havlng a lever arm and a connecting bar for associating said levers, the connecting bars extending out of the container, whereby said baffles may be independently and selectively adjusted.

6. In an apparatus for cooking and cooling in sealed receptacles, a liquid container, means for conveying receptacles through the container by a clrcuitous route and from the top downwardly, means for selectively supplying heat to the liquid contents at varying levels to provide an upper heated strata of liquid, and a lower cool strata of liquid, and means for preventing liquid currents between the heated and cool stratas.

7. In an apparatus for cooking and cooling in sealed receptacles, a liquid container, means for selectively supplying heat to the liquid contents at varying levels to provide an upper heated strata and a lower cool strata of liquid, means for supplying cold water adjacent the bottom of the container and means selectively and independently operable for withdrawing water from the container at points below and adjacent the several heat-supply levels of the container.

8. An apparatus for cooking and cooling in sealed receptacles comprising a liquid container, means for conveying the receptacles through the container by a circuitous route and from the top downwardly, a plurality of vertically spaced independently controlled heat supply units in the container a plurality of independently controlled outlets, one positioned below and adjacent each heat supply unit, an independently operable bafile disposed between each heat unit and the corresponding outlet and means for supplying liquid to the container adjacent the bottom.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

NELSON I-I. FOOKS. 

